Trade thread crowding

[Marco]

Could I have input please from other traders on this? This is the new system I'm proposing:

With the proposed new system, that click would still result in the same thing, albeit with the sub-forums/dedicated areas for traders at the top, and then the main body of the trade room underneath, which is where all the sticky threads would be. Yes, it would require and extra click then to access what's contained in someone's sub-forum, but I don't think that would too much of an issue.

Bear in mind also that most members, when logging-on, navigate through the forum via the 'New Posts' button. Therefore, no matter where on the forum you place an ad (sub-forum or sticky thread), the ad will still appear in 'New Posts', and so anyone interested in the product (or products) being advertised would simply click on it from there and not bother at all with going through the 'main door', as it were, of Trade Impressions or the sub-forums.

We could make it so that each trader gets a dedicated sub-forum [essentially acting as their 'shop window'] and the use of a (temporary) sticky thread only when they have a 'special event' that they wish to promote, outside of a normal ad (say a special price reduction on something), and once that promotion is over, the sticky thread is then removed.

The emboldened part above is the key bit.

I'll only implement any changes if everyone is happy with the new proposals. Cheers!

Marco.

[MCRU]

Could I have input please from other traders on this? This is the new system I'm proposing:



The emboldened part above is the key bit.

I'll only implement any changes if everyone is happy with the new proposals. Cheers!

Marco.

Count me in, I would like my section to be called "The MCRU Store"

[Reffc]

I think that the temporary sticky thread is a little confusing Marco, as a sticky is a sticky, so is either there or not. Why not have the sub forums for items for sale or discussion and the sticky for trade members blogs? It just seems to me that you'd be making a rod for your own back introducing the additional admin of a temporary sticky plus it means more administration time/effort for traders. Marketing ought to be as admin-light as possible as time is precious.

[Ammonite Audio]

Could I have input please from other traders on this? This is the new system I'm proposing:



The emboldened part above is the key bit.

I'll only implement any changes if everyone is happy with the new proposals. Cheers!

Marco.

I'd go along with that, since there are too many stickies and the whole section is a visual mess.

Do we actually need stickies as well? I feel that it's the trader's responsibility to maintain interest in his/her venture, so current threads will rise to the top and sink away when their job is done. My feeling is that stickies should only be used for important announcements, trade room rules etc.

[Marco]

Thanks for the feedback, chaps. Keep it coming!

It looks like what'll be happening, unless there are any major objections, is doing away with all the stickies (as they exist in their current form) and allocating each trader a 'shop window', via creating a sub-forum in the trade room, for that purpose.

However, all information currently held in the sticky threads will simply be unstuck (and possibly also soft-deleted, to save bandwidth), which means that the information won't be lost, but merely out of view, just incase any trader needs access to it in future, in which case they should PM me, and I can release the information that they need, and then remove the sticky thread again afterwards.

Sticky threads will therefore now only be used for posting notices from admin (on rules, etc) or if any trader wishes to operate an on-going 'blog', as Paul has requested.

If there are no objections, this new system will go live in due course, probably some time next week, when we've had a chance to implement it.

Cheers!

Marco.

[Toppsy]

Marco,

I await with great interest the new format you come up with.

Regards
Colin

[oscarsaudio]

Sounds a good idea to me , hope to post more later this year (family health issues permitting)